First things first, I’m not sure I like the headline I chose for this post. Is this truly the most powerful and advanced 18V cordless brushless drill ever? It could be, and if not, it certainly comes very, very close.

That all said, Hitachi has incorporated some very impressive technologies into their new 18V brushless hammer drill, model DV18DBXL/JX.

Power

To start, the new Hitachi DV18DBXL/JX is said to deliver 136 Nm of torque. That’s 1203.7 in-lbs, which is barely higher than Milwaukee’s 1200 in-lbs rating.

Hitachi says that their new drills offer class leading hard torque of 136Nm.

Reactive Force Control

The Hitachi DV18DBXL/JX also features a safety feature that they’re calling Reactive Force Control (RFC), which sounds a lot like the Electronic Rotation Control and Active Response Technology found in Bosch’s heavy duty drills.

According to the user manual (PDF), the Reactive Force Control feature is designed to reduce the potential for harm when a drill jams or binds in a hole. Normally, such an occurrence would twist the drill, and your wrists and arms.

The RFC feature kicks into action when the drill is suddenly overburdened. Instead of the drill twisting in the opposite direction, the built-in sensors detect the reactive forces and turns off the motor. The LED light will blink to indicate that the RFC safety feature has activated.

They warn that the RFC feature might not activate depending on certain situations or operational conditions, and so users should still take proper precautions.

High Capacity and Super Fast Charging Batteries

Oh, and the kit comes with a 6.0Ah battery and fan-cooled charger (model UC18YSL3) that fully recharges the battery pack in just 38 minutes. Yes, that’s right – 38 minutes!

According to the manual, the charger will fully recharge a 3.0Ah battery in just 20 minutes, a 4.0Ah battery in 26 minutes, and 5.0Ah battery in 32 minutes.

I have found more details of the hammer drill (DV18DBXL), but there will also be a regular drill/driver as well, model DS18DBXL.

First Thoughts

I was recently surprised about the new grinder’s auto mode option that slows motor RPMs when the tool is not under load. They also have new worklights out, and an awesome Bluetooth radio.

Leading the category in terms of power, or at least matching up with Milwaukee and beating Makita? I didn’t think that’s something Hitachi would have been interested in.

There’s the Reactive Force Control feature, which I imagine might involve an accelerometer or gyroscope for anti-kickback control. Or maybe it’s current-based. If the tool senses a spike in motor power draw, that could indicate an “overburden” condition, as they described it.

Bosch’s safety feature works well, Milwaukee’s One-Key drill has an adjustable kickback control setting that is based on current draw, and it too works well.

Then there’s the fan-cooled charger that offers super fast recharges.

Most brands’ 3.0Ah batteries and standard charges take 60 mins to recharge a fully drained battery pack. Hitachi’s new charger can recharge a much higher capacity battery pack in less than 2/3 the time. 2x the capacity in less than 2/3 the time. We need more brands doing this.

Definitely interesting. The milwaukee has been shown in a couple of tests to have less torque than the Hilti and Makita, so I’d be interested to see how their claimed torque numbers actually stack up. Though of more interest to me is their commitment to more advanced battery and charging technology. Maybe this will force Dewalt and Milwaukee to get off their ass a bit.

It’s nice to see Hitachi stepping it up. I’ve always considered their cordless tools to be on par with Rigid, i.e. not quite up there with the Big 4 (here in the US), but a step above the Ryobi/B&D. Kinda like where Stanley B&D repositioned Porter-Cable.

Now if only someone (DeWalt, I’m looking at you, because I’m already in your ecosystem) could come out with my ULTIMATE Brushless Combo.

Reactive technology in the drill.
3 speeds.
Superfast charging, 6+amp hour batteries.
Great ergos.
Gyroscopic based plumb and level indication. If a cell phone can do it, a drill should be able to do it also. (Yes, I know, a pro doesn’t need these things. Well, that’s because a pro is using the tool every day, and has the muscle memory to back it up.)

ToughSystem (or LBoxx/Systainer compatible but as tough as TS) cases with intelligently designed inserts.
Quiet impact driver (a la the new Rigid & Makita models) using the funky (in a 70’s Motown good way, not stinky feet bad way) 1/4″ hex & 1/2″ square drive that Bosch came up with. Also, 2 speeds. And if possible, a means to dial down the power level. (Yes, I know, if I’m driving leetle eetsy beetsy screws, I can just use the drill at a low clutch setting… but where’s the fun in that? )
Wireless charging just for S&G.

Fancy LED lighting, battery charge level, perhaps a little coffee maker… skip that last. I, personally, have no use for the Bluetooth and RFID features, but I understand their value to professionals.

Oh, and all this with the power levels of today’s premium 18v platforms in a 12v platform sized tool. Because I’m not greedy or anything.

Seriously though, it doesn’t seem like there’s all that much room for really significant improvements to cordless drills & impacts. Just about everything I can think of is out there, with the newish reactive tech and quiet impacts. We just need somebody to bring it ALL together. (hmmm, I wonder if Bosch has a patent on their combi impact nose…) Without a huge change in battery/motor tech (Micro Mr Fusion??), incremental battery improvement is about all that’s left. Not that I’m complaining mind you…

Hitachi recently came out with a 3-hammer impact driver. The video was in Japanese, but I plan to dig up more info when I have a chance. I’m thinking that the 3 anvils will either mean heavier hitting or longer durability.

At this point, yes, a lot of advancements are going to be incremental.

Milwaukee and Dewalt have both come out with next-generation brushless drills, and are no doubt taking a breather before working on the next series of releases.

But to be fair, Milwaukee’s One-Key tech is somewhat revolutionary, for those who can benefit from the ability to customize every aspect of their tools.

Hitachi has some of the worst marketing out of all of the big tool brands. They don’t seem to send out many review samples it seems. They also don’t have great promo offers either like the other companies.

I’ve had the WORST experience with Hitachi I bought a HITACHI-EC2510E 5.5 HP Honda Gas Air Compressor, which came with some nailers I needed, for $715 which usually the cost of just the compressor, then 1 week later it just stopped working! so I took it back expecting Full Money Back Guaranteed but cashier only gave me 300$ back, saying “You misused the compressor but the nailers were fine” And I only used it for subfloor, hardwood, and carpet and only moved it into room to room no only placed in truck when bought and took back…
so contacted Hitachi but didn’t answer.
Then weeks later they sent me the HITACHI-KC18DBFL 18 V Brushless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver, I was thinking well I could sell this then get my money back totally from the air compressor but nooo the buyer said the impact driver was broken and sent it back, and sent back just the impact driver for full refund but amazon says the customer is always Right.so he got to keep the two good batteries and the hammer drill and getting his money back while I get the crappy junk. so I had to give a full refund for just the impact driver arrgh just makes me angry thinking about it..
so let me give you a hint lol keep in mind some tool brands just aren’t worth it…
but anyways not trying to say Hitachi is the worst but sometimes everyone has their troubles with certain brands.

You are right about 1 bad experience not being statistically valid as a true indication of the brand – but If I had yours with Hitachi that might make me swear off them. On the other had we had 12 of their NT65MA pneumatic finish nailers and 5 of their NV45AB2 roofing nail guns – and for our money they were best-in-class at the time. We bought most of them 10 or more years ago – and except for some routine maintenance – they are still all working strong as far as I know.

Some of their newer ones seem to have some leaking problems (please note this is hearsay from contractor friends, I don’t own any nailers except for the 18g Ryobi cordless and a bunch of Campbell-Hausfields).

Yes, sometimes we get those great deals were tools can go the extra mile, I have a tool that my dad passed on to me, a cummings Hobart belt sander that has lasted years and years of sanding carpeting adhesive off the cement floors and snading huge projects that would seem to just incinerate the tool but this cheap tool is still my #1 belt sander it seems so weird that some times in those cheap sanders were you buy it for just one job when it would last thousands of hard tough jobs… but anyways I just put some money on some Milwaukee one-key tools for my business and my employees are really loving it including me, but hopefully they will last as long as my Cumings Hobart belt sander…

Kobalt, makita, metabo,bosch and hitachi 18 volt all have fan cooled chargers available that force air from the charger to the air vents on the batteries to cool the battery cells down. Not all batteries are made with air vents on them such as dewalt 20 volt or porter cable 20 volt. And if the battery is hot and then placed on the charger to charge the battery will not start charging until the fan has cooled the battery temperature down enough to charge

My issue is the higher charge rate tends to kill off battery life overall. IE instead of getting 1000 cycles out it you might only get 900. Not a huge deal but with as long as these things are supposed to last – and with as many batteries you can buy relatively cheaply I don’t see a need to charge a 6AH rated pack in under 45 minutes.

Hell I don’t even own any packs that are more than 4AH. and at that they take about 1:30 to charge. They have enough endurance to get me through the day, or most of the day. And I can charge them quick enough I’m never really down.

Now if they say you can dial down the charge rate on their charger I’d feel better about the whole thing. Or maybe offer a cheaper charger that is slower because some of us don’t need that. And I’m going to run 2 or more chargers anyway. (always have a hot spare )

I don’t know if fast chargers are the best thing, normally the higher the charging speed is, the shorter is the life of a battery. Sure it’s better to have a faster speed, but I’m not sure that I would like to trade with battery life.

ok yeah diy was a bit strong but they were definitely in the 2nd tier. Now you have the lowes and Metabo partnerships, so maybe Hitachi is going to come on strong and try to take some of that shelf space that dewalt currently occupies. ok that’s a joke but Dewalt needs to step up there top tier 3 speed drill, at least 1000-1100 in lbs and some improved battery tech.

I would be a big fan of an accelerometer on a drill because as recently as 1 week ago using a Milwaukee fuel drill with a 2 inch bit it just about ripped my arm off…frequently…through a 2×6. As soon as that bit catches…whoa. Sometimes its like drilling 1/2 steel or better with a corded drill then it catches. In our shop, (earthmoving, heavy equipment) I make sure our guys use my personal cordless drill instead of the corded just to minimize the kickback murder of a corded drill. By the way, do any corded drills have an electric brake like cordless? I’d scrap every drill in our shop if there is such a thing.

Bosch has two corded 1/2″ hammer drills (HD 18-2, HD19-2) with an integral slip clutch, which is supposed to help in bind up situations, but how exactly it helps is unclear. Thus far, they haven’t applied their “Active Response Technology” to corded drills. Perhaps Metabo or Hilti has something along those lines??

Hi stuart – happy to see “hitachi” making a come back { I knew they were up to something – had read something about a Super Drill } ………….Have you heard anything about the forecast for their impact wrench { two are in the works I think }…………THX………..victor

This is why I love my Hitachi tools. They really spend the time thinking about usability. The ergonomics are fantastic, and let’s not forget about the lifetime warranty! With some proper marketing, they could easily gain some more marketshare.

Stuart, you should review the new brushless AC tools they have, like the impact wrench! I hadn’t seen any brushless AC tools until I found the impact one day.

Their NV83A2 nailer was the gold standard for us framing in the 2000s.
I had the C7SB2 also and it had all the features of a good framing/decking circular saw: strong motor, big fan, and a deck that wouldn’t bend like the aluminum Maritsa when dropped from a roof.

I’d like to see some safety features for binding in the spline drive drills, maybe they exist by now. I recall drilling for wedge anchors to be used for hurricane ties in the lintel area of pre fab block walls on a home =not nearly as thick as a 7 5/8″ block wall but still double rebar continuous. Became a very dangerous situation.

I think Hitachi suffers from lack of promotion and shelf space, and being positioned in bLowes, which in my opinion caters more to homeowners so I only go there for those green anodized hitachi circular saw blades.

Their brushless bandsaw looks very interesting. I think they do not have lifetime warranty anymore? While faster charge time is great for productivity it almost always mean less battery life. However bigger capacity means lower number of charge.

I have just purchased this drill and boy she has some serious grunt. It replaced a Makita 1800 which was a good drill and did the job very well with no complaints but this piece of kit is in a different league. It’s more compact although slightly heavier and the battery’s last way way longer so much so I think the second battery is not really needed in the majority of jobs. With regards longetivity only time will tell, in saying that it comes with a 3 year warranty on both drill and battery’s. I’m one happy driller chaps 🙂

I seriously hope this is the start of a big comeback for Hitachi. I believe they absolutely have the resources and engineering to go toe-to-toe with the Big 3 (they’ve eclipsed Bosch as a tool brand IMHO, especially when you take into account their pneumatic tools).